Created by Hart Hanson, the series is very loosely based on the life and writings of novelist and forensic anthropologistKathy Reichs,[1] who also produces the show. Its title character, Temperance Brennan, is named after the protagonist of Reichs' crime novel series. Similarly, Dr. Brennan writes successful mystery novels based around a fictional (in the Bones universe) forensic anthropologist named Kathy Reichs. Bones is a joint production by Josephson Entertainment, Far Field Productions and 20th Century Fox Television.[2]

The series was renewed for a tenth season that premiered on September 25, 2014.[3]

The premise of the show is an alliance between forensic anthropologistDr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan and FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth. Brennan is the central character and team leader of the fictional Jeffersonian Institute Medico-Legal Lab, a federal institution that collaborates with the FBI, mirroring the real-life relationship between the FBI and the Smithsonian Institution. Set in Washington, D.C., the show revolves around solving Federal legal cases by examining the human remains of possible murder victims. Dr. Brennan and her team provide scientific expertise and Special Agent Booth provides FBI criminal investigation technique. In addition to the prospective murder cases featured in each episode, the series explores the backgrounds and relationships of its characters. An important ongoing dynamic between Brennan and Booth is their disagreement about science and faith. Brennan argues for science, evidence, and atheism. Booth argues for faith, God, and the unproven. The series is also known for its dark comedic undertones to, in essence, lighten the gravity of the show's intense subject matter.

Emily Deschanel as Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan: A brilliant forensic anthropologist working at the renowned Jeffersonian Institute located in Washington, D.C. She is an empiricist and author of crime fiction based on her experiences. She is also an atheist and a staunch believer in facts and evidence; consequently, she comes off as distant and detached. Nevertheless, she has shown empathy and compassion. Her dearth of social skills provides most of the show's lighthearted humor, primarily through her catchphrase, "I don't know what that means", whenever a pop culture reference is introduced into conversation. She is noted to have a high IQ and impressive reasoning skills. She and her FBI partner, Seeley Booth, begin a relationship near the end of season six and have a daughter they name Christine Angela in season seven. They marry in season nine.

David Boreanaz as Seeley Booth: FBISpecial Agent Booth seeks out Brennan's professional help in his investigations involving human remains that cannot be identified without Brennan's skills and those of her colleagues. The character is often used as an audience surrogate to provide a layman's translation of the scientific jargon-filled dialog, especially in the "squints'" conversations or lab scenes. He gives Brennan her nickname, "Bones", which she starts out hating but comes to accept. He is a skilled investigator and interrogator who often relies on his "gut" and "cop instincts" (a quality unknown to Brennan). A decorated veteran of the United States Army Rangers, where he was a sniper, he has a son from a previous relationship, Parker, and a younger brother, Jared. He also has a daughter, Christine, with Brennan; they married in season nine. Raised in the Catholic church, he is a fictional member of the well-known Booth Family and, as such, is related to John Wilkes Booth, which he does not like to discuss.

Michaela Conlin as Angela Montenegro: A forensic artist at the Jeffersonian Institute and Brennan's best friend, Angela is Brennan's team specialist in craniofacial reconstruction—helping to identify the victims—and can generate holograms using her three-dimensional graphics program (The Angelator and later The Angelatron) to simulate various virtual scenarios of a crime to help determine cause of death. She is open, friendly, and caring and constantly tries to draw Brennan out of the lab. Angela's very scary father is played by Billy Gibbons, guitarist of ZZ Top, guest-starring as a fictional version of himself.[4] In season five, she marries co-worker Dr. Jack Hodgins and gives birth to their son, Michael Vincent, in season six.

T. J. Thyne as Dr. Jack Hodgins: An entomologist who is also an expert on spores and minerals but whose hobby is conspiracy theories. Hodgins regularly refers to himself as the lab's "bug and slime guy". During an investigation, he primarily deals with particulates and trace evidence and, at the crime scene, will provide Booth with approximate time of death (T.O.D). He is best friends with former co-worker Zack Addy and often tries to "educate" him on social norms. His family is extremely wealthy and are major sponsors of the Jeffersonian; however, Hodgins wishes for this status to remain concealed from his colleagues; it eventually came out during an investigation, and nobody has allowed it to significantly impact their relationship with him. In season five, he marries Angela Montenegro; and she gives birth to their son, Michael Vincent, in season six.

Eric Millegan as Dr. Zack Addy (Seasons 1–3; guest star, Seasons 4–5): Introduced in season one as Dr. Brennan's graduate student and intern, in season two, he receives his doctorates in Forensic Anthropology and Mechanical Engineering and joins the staff of the Jeffersonian as a full-fledged professional. Like Brennan, his inability to pick up on Booth's, Hodgins', or Angela's pop culture jokes and references was a running gag and a source of humorously awkward moments in the lab, though he has shown he has other 'normal' interests such as being a basketball fan. Zack was removed from his position on Brennan's team in the season three finale, "The Pain in the Heart", when he was revealed to be the apprentice of the serial killer Gormogon. He is currently residing in a psychiatric facility after he pled insanity to avoid a prison term, as Hodgins told him he "would not do well" in the general prison population. Zack is also known as "Zacharoni" and "Z-Man", and a recurring element in the show involved Zack and Hodgins amicably competing to be "King of the Lab". In "The Pain in the Heart", Dr. Saroyan's trophy recognizing Zack as "King of the Lab" is revealed.

Jonathan Adams as Dr. Daniel Goodman (season one): An archaeologist turned administrator, who is the director of the Jeffersonian Institute. He is a loving husband and father to a pair of five-year-old twin girls. His way of working leads Hodgins to think of him as subjective, long-winded, and lacking the qualities of a pure scientist, although the antagonism between the two develops into a friendly rivalry as the season progresses. He has not made any appearances beyond season one. As of episode 23, "The Titan on the Tracks", he is said to be on sabbatical.

Tamara Taylor as Dr. Camille Saroyan (season two–present): Succeeds Dr. Goodman as the head of the Forensic Division at Jeffersonian Institute and is a pathologist. She was a coroner in New York City. At first, she and Dr. Brennan have an uneasy working relationship. Dr. Saroyan had a romantic relationship with Booth prior to her joining the Jeffersonian and a brief relationship during the show. Since season four, she has had a teenage adopted daughter, Michelle, because of her prior relationship with Michelle's murdered father.

John Francis Daley as Dr. Lance Sweets (seasons 3–10): An FBI psychologist assigned to Booth and Brennan after Booth arrests her father. He is frequently consulted to provide a profile on the suspects and victims involved and to give a more "humanized" perspective on the case. Due to his youth, he is initially treated by Booth and the Jeffersonian team in a condescending manner, but eventually earns their respect, even that of Brennan, who notably dismissed psychology as a "soft science", and he is often sought for advice from the team. In the season ten premiere, it is revealed that he and Daisy are expecting a baby. Soon after, he is fatally assaulted while serving a warrant. He dies with Booth and Brennan by his side.

John Boyd as James Aubrey (season ten), a junior FBI agent working under Booth.

Ryan O'Neal as Max Brennan (season two–present): Max Keenan, aka Max Brennan, is the father of Russ and Temperance Brennan. He and his wife were nonviolent bank robbers who became involved with gangs in the '70s. They changed identities to lead an honest life with their children. Booth arrests Max on murder charges in season two, and he is tried in season three. The jury finds him Not Guilty on all counts; and he is released, finally able to reconnect openly with his children.

Loren Dean as Russ Brennan (seasons 1–3): Russ Brennan, aka Kyle Keenan, is the older brother of Temperance Brennan, aka Joy Keenan, and the son of Max Keenan. Russ has a troubled past and has spent some time in prison. He is involved with a woman named Amy Hollister and loves her two daughters, Emma and Hayley. After he and Temperance were abandoned by their parents, he also abandoned his sister, which led to long-held animosity from her. He first appears in the season one finale, where he patches things up with his sister and also re-unites with his father in season two. His last appearance is in season three, although he is mentioned in later seasons.

Eugene Byrd as Dr. Clark Edison (season three–present): He is the most serious and professional of the Jeffersonian interns, as well as the most organized. At the beginning of season eight, Cam hires Clark as a forensic anthropologist, to focus on archaeological work.

Michael Grant Terry as Wendell Bray (season four–present): He is Dr. Brennan's top scholarship intern. He dates Angela briefly during season five. In season nine, he is diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma.

Carla Gallo as Daisy Wick (season four–present): overeager and somewhat manipulative, she is often annoying to other workers at the Jeffersonian. She has an on-again, off-again relationship with Lance Sweets. In the season ten premiere, it is revealed that she and Sweets are going to have a son.

Joel David Moore as Colin Fisher (season four–present): Fisher suffers from depression and has a very dark sense of humor. He sometimes spends time at mental health facilities for treatment.

Pej Vahdat as Arastoo Vaziri (season four–present): Arastoo starts out by having a fake Iranian accent, so he does not have to constantly explain his Islamic beliefs, but later drops the accent. In season eight, he begins dating Cam.

Ryan Cartwright as Vincent Nigel-Murray (seasons four-six): Vincent is an Englishman and a graduate of the University of Leeds. He has a habit of reciting trivia while working. In season six, he is fatally shot in the chest by sniper Jacob Broadsky. Hodgins and Angela name their son's second middle name after him.

Luke Kleintank as Finn Abernathy (season seven–present): Finn is the youngest intern to date. He is from North Carolina and has a thick Southern accent, which leads Hodgins to call him "Opie". Finn, in turn, calls Hodgins, who is from a very wealthy family, "Thurston". He and Cam's daughter fall in love and begin dating, initially behind her mother's back.

Brian Klugman as Oliver Wells (season eight–present): Oliver is a lab assistant who boasts of his 160 IQ and is considerably arrogant. He and Dr. Brennan do not enjoy the best of working relationships, especially after he tells her that he aims to surpass her reputation. A polymath, he has a wide, if indolent, range of interests, from physics to psychology.

The concept of Bones was developed during the latter part of the pitching season of 2004 when 20th Century Fox approached series creator Hart Hanson with an idea for a forensics show. Hanson was asked to meet with executive producer Barry Josephson, who had purchased the rights to produce a documentary on the forensic anthropologist and author Kathy Reichs. Although Hanson was reluctant about being involved in making a police procedural, he signed on and wrote the pilot episode after having an intensive meeting with Josephson about the show.[5] As the show is based on the works of Reichs, the writers constantly involve her in the process of producing the episodes' storylines. Although the show's main character is also loosely based on Reichs, producers decided to name her Temperance Brennan, after the character in Reichs' novels;[1] Reichs has stated that she views the show as somewhat of a prequel to her novels, with the TV show's Temperance Brennan as a younger version of the novels' Temperance Brennan.[6]

In order to make Bones a unique crime drama in the midst of the multiple procedural dramas that already populated network television like the Law & Order and CSI franchises, Hanson decided to infuse the show with as much dark humor and character development as possible.[7] Another element conceived for the show was the "Angelatron", a holographic projector that provides a way to replace the flashbacks often used by other procedural shows. In addition to their expositional purposes , the holographic images, which are created by visual effects, brought a unique visual style to the show that the producers were looking for.[8]

David Boreanaz was the first actor to be cast in Bones. Series creator Hart Hanson described the actors who had auditioned for the role of Seeley Booth as "pretty boy waifs"; he immediately responded when the head of the studio, Dana Walden, suggested Boreanaz for the role.[1] Boreanaz was offered the role but was unenthusiastic about getting involved after a difficult meeting with executive producers Barry Josephson and Hart Hanson, even though he thought the script was well written. However, after the producers contacted him again to convince him to accept the role, Boreanaz agreed to sign on and was cast as Seeley Booth.[8]

Emily Deschanel was cast in the role of Temperance Brennan just before production began on the Bones pilot.[1] After Deschanel finished the film Glory Road, the film's producer Jerry Bruckheimer recommended that she audition for Bones.[9] Deschanel impressed Hart Hanson at her audition with her assertiveness. In a tense moment in the audition scene, David Boreanaz stepped closer to Deschanel; and Deschanel held her ground rather than retreating. Hanson remarked that, in such a situation, "90% of actors would take a step back".[10] Deschanel was subsequently cast in the role.

The soundtrack album titled Bones: Original Television Soundtrack, produced by Maria Alonte McCoy and Billy Gottlieb, was released in 2008. It contains 13 songs recorded by popular artists for the show.[15]

A consistent naming of the episodes occurs. Almost every episode title alliteratively alludes to how the victim is discovered in said episode, like "The Critic in the Cabernet" and "The Dwarf in the Dirt", or to the main plot device of the episode, like "The Hero in the Hold" and "The Change in the Game".

The series premiere of Bones attracted an average of 10.8 million viewers with 6.7% household share and 11% household rating. Bones finished first among the 18-to-49-year-old demographic and in total viewers in its Tuesday 8:00 pm ET timeslot.[25]New York described the show as "the best drama of the new network season" and a "sexed-up variation of all the CSIs".[26] Regarding the show's procedural structure, Entertainment Weekly notes that Bones has a "pretty standard Crossing Jordan/CSI-style framework" but holds up because of the chemistry between the two lead characters; "that old Sam-and-Diane, Maddie-and-David, Mulder-and-Scully opposites-attract stuff never feels standard when it's done right."[27]

Following the broadcast of the series' third episode, Fox ordered a full season of Bones.[28] The network renewed it for a second season after a strong performance in ratings in the timeslot following American Idol and on its own without the American Idol's lead-in audience.[29] Overall, the first season of Bones ranked 60th in viewership among prime-time shows and 53rd among the 18 to 49 year old demographic, with a seasonal average of 8.9 million viewers.[16]

The second season premiere attracted 8.61 million viewers in its Wednesday 8:00 pm timeslot, finishing second among the 18 to 49 years old demographic and first in total viewership with 6.7% household rating and 11% household share.[30] As a lead-in for American Idol, the second season finale of Bones obtained 10.88 million viewers with 3.5% household rating and 11% household share. It tied first in viewership among the 18 to 49 years old demographic with The Price Is Right Million Dollar Spectacular on CBS.[31] In the 2006–07 television season, Bones improved its ranking to 50th place in viewership among prime-time shows with 9.4 million viewers and was ranked 51st among the 18 to 49 year old demographic. The show improved its ranking during its third season, placing 51st overall. However, its overall viewership was down from the previous season, averaging 8.9 million, the same as in the first season. Viewership began to steadily increase with its fourth season.

The ninth season premiere attracted 7.8 million viewers and a 2.3 rating in the key 18–49 demographic during its Monday 8:00 pm timeslot. Its final Monday airing resulted in a 2.0 rating and 7.36 million viewers. Bones was subsequently moved to Fridays at 8:00 pm November 15, 2013, where ratings dropped 40 percent to a 1.2 and 5.85 million viewers in its initial airing in that timeslot.[32]

Bones premiered September 13, 2005, on the Fox network and was broadcast weekly in the Tuesday 8:00 pm ET timeslot before it moved to the Wednesday 8:00 pm ET timeslot in 2006. The first season finished May 17, 2006, with a total of 22 episodes.

The second season premiered on the Fox network August 30, 2006, and retained its Wednesday 8:00 pm ET timeslot. The second season finale aired May 16, 2007, ending its second season with 21 episodes. One episode, "Player Under Pressure", was left unaired, which was originally scheduled to be broadcast as the second season's 19th episode but was pulled by the Fox network in the United States after the Virginia Tech massacre. The plot involved the discovery of the human remains of a college athlete,[33] and eventually aired April 21, 2008, as a part of the third season.

The third season premiered September 25, 2007, in its original premiere timeslot, Tuesday 8:00 pm ET. The show went on hiatus November 27, 2007, because of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike and returned April 14, 2008, in the Monday 8:00 pm ET timeslot.[34] The shortened third season finished May 19, 2008, with a total of 15 episodes.

The fourth season premiered September 3, 2008 on the Fox network in the Wednesday 8:00 pm ET timeslot with a two-hour episode that was filmed on location in London.[35] Originally scheduled to return from hiatus January 15, 2009, Bones instead resumed one week later because of preemption by President Bush's farewell address. As a result, two new episodes, "Double Trouble in the Panhandle" and "Fire in the Ice", were aired back-to-back January 22, 2009, airing in a new timeslot, Thursday 8:00 pm ET. The fourth season finale aired May 14, 2009 with a total of 26 episodes.

The fifth season premiered September 17, 2009, on the Fox network and retained its Thursday 8:00 pm ET timeslot. It consisted of 22 episodes and ended May 20, 2010.

Off-network syndication of Bones began the week of January 28, 2008, on TNT.[36]

March 29, 2012, announcing the renewal for an eighth season, Kevin Reilly, Fox's Chairman of Entertainment, said, "Over the past seven seasons, Hart Hanson, Stephen Nathan and the incredible Bones cast and crew have redefined the traditional crime procedural with an irreverent and adventurous sensibility, and I'm really happy to have this distinctive fan-favorite on our schedule for another season."[37]

Fox has released free episodes of Bones and several other primetime series online for viewing on Netflix, Hulu, and its MySpace website, which is owned by the same parent company, News Corporation, that owns Fox. This began October 3, 2006, but access is restricted to United States residents only.[38]Bones is available on their official website via Fox On Demand. In Canada, recent episodes are available on the Global TV website, and seasons one through nine are on Netflix.

In October 2010, it was revealed that Fox was developing a potential spin-off series that would be built around a new recurring character that would be introduced in the sixth season. The potential spin-off series would also be created by Bones creator/executive producer Hart Hanson, and be based on The Locator series of two books written by Richard Greener. The character of Walter is described as an eccentric but amusing recluse in high demand for his ability to find anything. He is skeptical of everything—he suffered brain damage while overseas, which explains his constant paranoia and his being notorious for asking offensive, seemingly irrelevant questions to get to the truth.[39] Production on the episode was scheduled to begin in December 2010, but was delayed to early 2011 due to creative differences.

Creator Hart Hanson posted on Twitter (humorously) regarding the notes he got from the network, "I received studio notes on the Bones spin-off idea. They want it to be better. Unreasonable taskmasters. Impossible dreamers. Neo-platonists."[40] During Fox's TCA press tour, executive producer Stephen Nathan revealed production on the episode featuring The Finder began in February 2011, with the episode airing in April.

In the episode, Booth and Brennan travel to Key West, Florida, where the spin-off is said to take place. Nathan went on to say regarding the casting of character, "You want to find people you want to see every single week do one unique character. That's why when you have Hugh Laurie, who is essentially playing a very unlikable character, you love to see him. And that is a rare, rare quality to find. And the finder won't be an unlikable character, but because it is a unique character, it's difficult to find just the right person."[41]Geoff Stults was cast as the lead character with Michael Clarke Duncan and Saffron Burrows cast as the other two lead characters.[42][43][44] The three characters were introduced in episode 19 of the sixth season.

The Finder was picked up for the 2011–12 season May 10, 2011, with an order of 13 episodes.[45]

The Finder was canceled May 9, 2012, and aired its final episode two days later.

Reviews for the pilot episode were mixed, and holds a Metacritic score of 55 out of 100, based on 29 critical reviews.[46] Subsequent seasons have received generally favorable reviews.[47][48][49]

USA Today comments that compared to other crime shows, the show "is built on a more traditional and solid foundation: the strength of its characters" and "what sets Tuesday's Bones premiere apart from the procedural pack are stars Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz, as the season's most appealing new crime fighters."[50] On the other hand, Media Life Magazine posited that while Bones has "an amazingly clever notion, brilliant even", its "execution doesn't match the conception" and based on its first episode, the show "fails to evolve into a gripping series. In fact, it quickly becomes so derivative of so much else on television — especially, strangely, X-Files — that one might even call it bone-headed."[51]

The series has also won two Genesis Awards for the episodes "The Woman in Limbo" and "The Tough Man in the Tender Chicken" for raising awareness on the issues of pig slaughtering and industrial chicken farms, while the episode "The Finger in the Nest" received a nomination.

Bones was nominated for two awards at the 37th People's Choice Awards, for Favorite TV Crime Drama and Emily Deschanel for Favorite TV Crime Fighter.[53] The series received three nominations at the 38th People's Choice Awards, for Favorite TV Crime Drama, David Boreanaz for Favorite TV Drama Actor and Emily Deschanel for Favorite TV Drama Actress.[54]

Bones is nominated for a 2014 PRISM Award for Best Drama Episode – Substance Abuse for the episode "The Friend in Need" and John Francis Daley for Best Performance in a Drama Series Episode.[55]

Aside from the television broadcast of Bones, its characters and concepts have also been produced in print, on the internet and in short videos for mobile phones. Currently, there are two print books related to the series, one a novel and the other an official guide.

Buried Deep (also released as "Bones Buried Deep"; ISBN 978-1-4165-2461-8), written by Max Allan Collins, was published by Pocket Star February 28, 2006. The book is based on the characters in the television series rather than the characters created by Kathy Reichs, who had inspired the concept of Bones. Its plot focuses on Dr. Temperance Brennan and Special Agent Seeley Booth's investigation into the skeletal remains left on the steps of a federal building and its connection with a Chicago mob family. Angela, Hodgins and Zack only appear on the end of telephone conversations with Brennan.

Bones: The Official Companion (ISBN 978-1-84576-539-2) is written by Paul Ruditis and published by Titan Books, released October 16, 2007. The book includes cast and crew interviews, episode guides and a background detail on real-life forensics.[56]

Fox has made extensive use of the internet to promote Bones. Prior to the broadcast of the second season episode "The Glowing Bones in the Old Stone House", profiles of the characters involved in the episode were put up on their own MySpace web page. The blog entries of the characters were created to give insight into the potential suspects to be featured in the episode. In the episode, Brennan and her team uses clues from these web pages, which the viewers can also access.[57]

A spin-off series consisting of 26 two-minute episodes, called Bones: Skeleton Crew, was produced by Fox and launched through a partnership with Sprint Nextel in conjunction with MasterCard's sponsorship. It was released to Sprint TV subscribers in November 2006 and released on the official website of Bones December 4, 2006. The episodes do not feature the show's main cast; its plot revolves around three Jeffersonian Institute lab technicians who use their skills to solve a mystery.[58]

Bonus content was posted by Fox on Bones' official site during the third season, which include short videos featuring Booth and Brennan waiting to see Dr. Sweets.